Adjustable drapery bracket



` Feb. 16, 1943.

n. M; BEHRLE ADJUSTABLE mmmugK4 "BRACKET Filed July 29'. 1942 Patented Feb. 16, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFHCE ADJUSTABLE DRAPERY BRACKET Ruth M. Behrle, Washington, D. C.

Application VJuly 29, 1942, Serial No. 452,766

3 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, .as amended April 30, 1928; 370 '0. G. 757) -ability in points of suspension from the frames of windows or doors to accommodate and provide for desired variations in the widths or spacings of draperies.

A further object ci `the improvement is to provide a drapery support Ywhose points vof securement to a window frame are invisible to thenorma] view, thereby preventing destruction to and defacing markson the Atace oi'the frame by nails and screws.

Another object-oi the invention is to provide a rapery support which is subjected predominantly to shearing stresses or edgewise bending stresses and in which the 'securing screws or nails are subjected solely to shearing stresses as distinguished from bending `and tensional stresses.

These and other Objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification and appended claims. A preferred embodiment having the characteristics of my invention and by which the same may be practiced'is illustrated in the accompanying drawingin which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective illustrating t. e improved embodiment applied to a window frame in a manner whereby the draperies may be hung at a width beyond that of the frame;

Figure 2, Va top plan view of the Figure 1 application of the support and illustrating in dotted lines the application of the support ina still further eXtended position; and

Figure 3, a perspective view of the embodiment illustrating its application for a hanging of draperies substantially flush with the edge of the window frame.

The improved support in the illustrated embodiment is formed of a straight length of strap iron given a 90 twist lil at a point intermediate its ends il and I2 to bring the portion between end l i and the twist on a horizontal plane for securement to the top edge i3 of a window frame I4 and to bring the portion between the end I2 and the twist Ii] on a vertical plane for strength purposes described hereinafter. The portion of the stock between end l2 and the twist I0 is given a 90 bend i5 adjacent the twist and removed from the bend l5 the same portion of the strap of material is again given a 90 bend I3, in fthe-*same direction as bend l5, to bring therernaining portion Il', between bend i5 and end I2, baciiinto substantial Vparallelism with the Vend por-tion lubetween the twist it and end li. The length of the arm i9 between bends I'and I shouid 'be suiiicient to space the drapery supporting arm l? a desired or suitable distance iromfthe face of the window frame iii to accom- `mod-ate drapery folds and hooks outwardly beyond the normal attachments for curtains and shades.

l'The horizontaly disposed securing arm portion iii! is provided with-aplurality oi holes 2S where- -bythe support may be secured as by a screw .2i

drlvenzinto thetop i3 of the frame it. The plurality of holes 23 provide Vadjustabiiity, aicrding any desired extension Vof the bracket beyond the width of the frame i4, as shownin Figures `1 and 2, or at A'a position substantially .ilush with the edgeof 'the rarna'as shown in Figure 3.

To relieve the securing arm i3 of Ytorsional `stresses to relievescrews 2i of bending and tens'ional stresses, l,by the `hanging Weight of drapes ion arm |1,`:I provide a vertical support 22 consisting of a :flat piece of similar strap iron stockgiven a 90 end 23 whereby the leg end portioni may be secured, as by screws 25, vertically'tothesidel of the frame I4 and whereby Lthehorizontally disposed .bent end portion 2l :may be secured to the under face of the horizontally disposed supporting arm portion I3 by such vas 'boltsZii through one ormore o1 the holes any conventional type may bridgingly span the space from the arm I7 of one bracket to the other.

By positioning the vertical support .22 in a manner whereby the end `portion 2i is disposed outwardly away from the window frame, as disposed in the showing of Figure 1, that portion 21 will serve as a support for the portion of the arm i 8 which extends beyond the limits of the window frame. When it is desired to hang the drapes flush with the sides of the window frame however, the end portion 2l of the bent support 22 should be disposed in a reverse direction, as shown in Figure 3, in order that the supporting arm i9 for the drapery arm Il may be brought nearer to the plane of the side 26 of the window frame.

By the described structure the principal stresses upon the support, due to the weight of the drapery, are in shear and in bending only in a direction edgewise of the strap material. 'Likewise the securing screws 2l and 25 are subjected to shearing stresses predominantly, rather than bending or tensional stresses which in prior art structures tend to loosen the bracket and destroy the holding characteristics of nails or screws. More specically, an evenly distributed downward pull on the drapery support arm il subjects that arm and the spacing arm IS to edgewise bending and shearing stresses. Likewise the stresses to which the leg 24, of the Vertical support 22, is subjected is solely in shear and edge- Wise bending. Similarly securing arm i8 is subjected to shearing stresses and is relieved of torsional stresses by the bearing of the lower end of the vertical support against the wall adjacent the window frame. By this arrangement it will be seen -that screws 2l and 25 will be subjected solely to shearing stresses as distinguished from tension and bending since they are normal t the direction of pull upon arm I3 and leg 24.

In the use of the device, for narrow windows, for instance, the drapes may be hung predominantly over the wall adjacent the side of the window frame, as shown by the application of the device in dotted lines in Figure 2, to give the effect of a wider window. In this manner the lined sides of the drapes are not exposed to view from the outside of the window and the drapes are not exposed to the deteriorating effects of sunlight or to dust, wind and rain when the windows are in open position. Drapes so hung rdo not obstruct the normal light and view through a window nor will they obstruct the normal flow of air through an open window. Should it be desired to limit the overall width a pair of the drapes to substantially that of a window frame, the supports may be mounted in the manner shown in Figure 3, i. e., by a reversal of the support 22 from the position shown in Figure 1.

The improved type of drapery support is particularly adaptable for the blacking-out of windows since to eiectively close out lateral light beams it is usually necessary to extend the draperies well out beyond the window frame.

By the described improvements, a strong adjustable drapery support is provided and one which may be readily attached, two screws being suiiicient, Furthermore, by the improvements described the exposed faces of the window frames are not marred or destroyed by screw holes since the securing screws are run into the top and upper side edge of the frame where they are practically invisible to normal view.

Having described my invention and illustrated an embodiment by which the same may be practiced, what I claim is:

1. A device adapted to suspend a drape generally parallel to the plane of a window in adjustable overlapping relation with respect to the sides of the window comprising a generally U- shaped strap member having a generally rectangular cross-section with one leg of the U- shaped member presenting a fiat side when viewed normal to the plane of the U defined thereby said ilat side being provided with a plurality of spaced apertures therein for accommodating fastening means, and a generally L- shaped strap member having one leg thereof adapted to be fastened to said U-shaped member with the other leg of said L-shaped member extending therefrom normal to the plane of the U defined by said U-shaped member, said L- shaped member being provided with a plurality of apertures therein for accommodating fastening means, whereby the support made up of the U and L shaped members fastened together in predetermined adjustable position may be fastened to the top and side edges of a window frame in predetermined overlapping relation by screws extending through the apertures provided in said U and L shaped members respectively.

2. A drapery support formed of strap-like material of rectangular cross-section having end portions fixed in substantially parallel relationship to one another by an intermediate portion the p-lane formed by the two greater dimensions of one of said end portions being substantially normal to that of the other end portion whereby one of said end portions may be positioned fiatwise on the top surface or a window frame with the other parallel end portion having its maximum lateral dimension extending vertically, said portion adapted to be placed on the top surface of a window being provided with a plurality of apertures therein for accommodating fastening means, and a generally L-shaped strap member having one leg thereof adapted to be fastened to the end portion of said rst mentioned member adapted to be positioned atwise on a window frame, said L-shaped member being provided with a plurality of apertures therein for accommodating fastening means whereby the support made up or said members may be fastened to the top and side edges `of a window frame by screws extending through the apertures provided in said members.

3. A drapery support for suspending a drape in adjustable overlapping position with respect to the side of a window formed of strap-like material bent about its axis of least bending moment to form a generally U-shaped member having parallel legs, one leg of which is twisted through an angle of degrees with respect to the other, in combination with an L-shaped strap member bent about its axis of least bending moment, the twisted portion of said U-shaped member and the L-shaped member being provided with a plurality of apertures therein for accommodating fastening means whereby the two said members may be fastened together and the assembly fastened to the top and side edges respectively of a window frame.

RUTH M. BEHRLE. 

